TORY MSP Jackson Carlaw has said the fund has helped 25,000 people receive treatments which are not available on the NHS.

A radiologist examines a linear accelerater used for radiation treatment

SCOTLAND is not being served well by the current provision of cancer treatments, MSPs were told today, as the Conservatives urged the Scottish Government to provide funding for the latest medicines for the disease.

The Tories want the SNP administration to follow the UK Government and set up a cancer drugs fund.

The fund, which sets aside money to provide treatments for cancer sufferers which are not available on the NHS, has helped 25,000 people, according to Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw.

Last month Health Secretary Alex Neil announced a new £21 million fund to improve access to treatment for people with rare medical conditions.

But Mr Carlaw said "cancer is the one condition" in which "we are not serving people effectively", and a "fund of sorts" was needed to plug the gap in this area.

He said: "I think the Government already recognises that having introduced the rare medicine fund, the principle has been established that it is time to make progress on addressing the deficiency that exists with the current Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) assessment process of affording access to these drugs."

Mr Carlaw added: "The suspicion sometimes on our side is that the reason the Scottish Government did not introduce a fund for cancer drugs was because the initiative initially came from a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition elsewhere.

"And that's unfortunate if that is the impression that has been created, even if it is not the reality or the truth."

In November last year, Health Secretary Alex Neil said a review would be carried out to look at current systems for making new medicines available across the NHS in Scotland.

Responding to Mr Carlaw, he said: "Scotland's decision not to introduce a cancer drugs fund reflects our policy position that creating ring-fenced funding for a single disease area effectively diverts resources away from other conditions including severe and life-threatening conditions."

Mr Neil said "the fact it was a Tory government had nothing to do with our policy decision in Scotland".

"I do remain committed to considering ways in which we can genuinely improve access to clinically and cost-effective medicines which may improve outcomes for patients in Scotland," he added.

Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said her party did not support the creation of a cancer drugs fund.

She explained that was because they "genuinely believe there are other equally serious conditions that required improved access to medicines too".

She also said the cancer drugs fund in England had led to a "a bit of a postcode lottery" in some places, "which is not desirable".

But she added the current individual patient treatment requests (IPTR) system - which patients can use to try to get drugs not yet approved for general use - was "no longer acceptable".

Ms Baillie highlighted the case of Ann Fisher, a mother-of-three from Greenock, Inverclyde, who suffers from cancer.

"She can't get access to drugs here that would be available if she lived in England," the Labour MSP said.

"That just can't be right by any measure."

Ms Baillie went on to tell MSPs that one of her constituents had had three IPTR requests for the drug cetuximab - which is used to treat some bowel, head and neck cancers - turned down.

But the Labour MSP claimed if the woman - who she did not name - lived in another different health board area, she could get the medication.

"This just cannot go on," Ms Baillie told the Health Secretary.

"The Cabinet Secretary must ensure at the very least there is not this appalling postcode lottery in Scotland.

"Access to medicines must improve, there must be consistency of application across all health boards in Scotland."

MSPs who have survived cancer were amongst those who spoke on the issue of a cancer drugs fund during the debate.

Labour's Jayne Baxter stressed the need for a "robust, fair and transparent system" for determining access to medicines.

She spoke about her experience of cancer, saying: "I was lucky.

"Early detection, prompt and skilful treatment and aftercare from the Maggies Centre gave me the ability to get on with my life, to be here today.

"I count myself very lucky but I now take nothing for granted."

She added: "Having had that experience, I cannot begin to imagine how it must feel to be told you have cancer but you won't get help because of anomalies in the system."

Ms Baxter, a Mid Scotland and Fife MSP, insisted that cancer sufferers should "not be reduced to lobbying and campaigning" for drug treatments.

She stated: "What is clear from the debate so far is that we must have a robust, fair and transparent system for access to medicine in our health system."

Aileen McLeod, an SNP MSP and a member of Holyrood's Health Committee, said she was speaking in the debate "both as a policymaker and a cancer victim and a cancer survivor".

The South Scotland MSP stressed the importance of detecting cancer early, telling MSPs: "I'm very acutely aware of how cancer sufferers and their families feel.

"But what I want to be doing is preventing people from getting to that stage where they need cancer drugs, and that's why the Scottish Government's £30 million Detect Cancer early programme is so important."